


5 Times Hanzo Took Care of Jesse + 1

by shepardly



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, some descriptions of blood and injury, with a heaping scoop of comfort on top
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 18:19:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16164296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shepardly/pseuds/shepardly
Summary: Hanzo finds himself drawn towards McCree, but has always been more a man of action rather than words.In the style of 5+1





	1. Chapter 1

**(1)**

 

The first time Hanzo took care of Jesse, he hadn’t even been aware of the full extent of his actions. It was his first mission with Overwatch, still as a freelance mercenary, and he could swear he could feel Genji’s judgmental stare burning holes between his shoulder blades. He knew he was being indecisive about joining, but it seemed as though everyone was clamouring for him to join _their_ team these days. Couldn’t he just have a few moments peace? Maybe he wanted to be on his own team, for once.

 

Another shot pinged off the railing beside him and he bolted for cover, already drawing Storm Bow. He didn’t get much of an opportunity to aim before he ducked into cover, but his rapid shots were true and took out two of the thugs.

 

“Good work, team!” Winston came over the comms cheerfully, moments later. “Scans show that we’re done here for now. Fall back to the shuttle.”

 

Hanzo slowly straightened, putting Storm Bow away at his back, and felt his foot nudge against something as he turned to leave. Looking down, he saw a familiar brown hat, complete with gold shell casings in the band. He stooped down to pick it up and dusted it off, wondering where it’s owner was.

 

“Athena, are there any agents unaccounted for?” Hanzo tapped his comm to ask. There was a splatter of blood on the wall nearby, but not nearly enough to make him think that anyone had died there.

 

“Negative, Agent Hanzo.” Athena reported serenely. “All agents are accounted for, and are falling back to the shuttle if they are not there already. I advise you do the same.”

 

“Last one back to the Orca is a rotten egg.” Genji said, suddenly appearing at his elbow. Hanzo only kept from leaping out of his skin thanks to nerves of steel honed from a life of being an older brother to an utter terror.

 

“That is a child’s game.” Hanzo said, tucking the hat away safely. Genji didn’t seem to have seen it in his hands.

 

“So? You’re just mad because you’ve never won.”

 

Hanzo lifted an eyebrow at him as if to say ‘is that so?’ before shoving him over and leaping away, bolting towards the shuttle at top speeds while Genji gasped and shrieked about cheating before giving chase.

 

It ended up being close enough that it would have to be called a tie, which meant both claimed they won. Genji’s cybernetics completely nullified Hanzo’s headstart, which was enough gloating material as it was, but he couldn’t let the win go either.

 

They were both laughing when they boarded the Orca, the last ones to board, but they quickly sobered when they saw a weary Mercy sitting beside an unusually quiet and blood-spattered McCree. Mercy immediately noticed their concern.

 

“He’ll be fine.” She waved at McCree, who cracked open an eye to offer a weak grin and a wave upon seeing them. “He took a hit to the chest but his armour stopped most of it.”

 

“That’s what it’s for.” McCree said gloomily, rapping his fingers on the armour on the seat beside him.

 

“Wow, don’t sound happy about it or anything.” Genji said dryly.

 

“No, I am.” McCree tried to sound convincing but his voice fell flat. “Angie saved my life. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her.”

 

The lopsided smile he offered her was genuine at least. 

 

“Ok, Ray, take us out of here.” Winston was saying behind them, and McCree’s expression dropped again. Hanzo remembered what he had found, and he pulled it out then to offer it to the gunslinger.

 

“Here, cowman, I found this.” Hanzo said, shoving it towards him. McCree stared at it blankly for a moment before taking it reverently.

 

“You… found it?”

 

“I… yes?” Hanzo frowned at him quizzically, taken aback by the choked emotion in the gunslinger’s voice.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me you had lost your damn hat?!” Genji gently nudged McCree’s arm. “I would have at least tried looking for it.”

 

“We were a little preoccupied.” Angela shook her head with a roll of her eyes, but she smiled warmly at Hanzo. “Thank you for picking it up, Mr Shimada. I’m sure Jesse is grateful as well.”

 

Startled out of his revery, McCree looked up at Hanzo and nearly blinded him with his smile. The tension and gloominess in him from earlier had melted away, and Hanzo wondered at the twinge of warmth in his own chest at the thought that he had helped with that.

 

“Thanks, Hanzo. I really do appreciate it.”

 

Unsure of what to say, Hanzo simply nodded, allowing the corner of his mouth to lift slightly in what might be a hint of a smile, suddenly shy despite the fact he had just been laughing with Genji moments before. It seemed to be enough, because McCree grinned and plopped his hat on his head before helping Angela clean up her supplies despite her mild token protests. Hanzo went to his own seat to clean and break down Stormbow before returning it to its case, along with his other gear.

 

_“Careful, brother, that smile was so big I thought it would crack that stone face of yours.”_ Genji chided in their home language as he joined him. Hanzo scowled and swatted at him with the towel he was holding. _“I’m only teasing! But I am surprised Jesse didn’t swear a life debt to you right then and there. He loves that hat.”_

 

Hanzo only grunted, not bothering to deign that with a response. His recent relationship with his brother had been the only one worth his time since he had arrived at Gibraltar. He tended to avoid the others, and he didn’t doubt that it had been noticed but couldn’t be bothered to care. Genji sighed after a moment.

 

_“We’ll get there, brother.”_

 

***


	2. Chapter 2

**(2)**

 

Hanzo loped among the group, trying not to look up at the catwalk where he wished he was. It wasn’t much further to the pickup point, and there was no point in splitting up now. D.Va’s booster jets flickered in the twilight ahead of them as they jogged along the abandoned bridge, outlining Genji and Soldier:76’s silhouettes, and he could hear McCree’s spurs jingling behind him.

 

“Watch your step!” D.Va warned, the MEKA’s jets boosting as she jumped over something. “Crack in the bridge here!”

 

Genji and Soldier:76 made the leap with no problem, and as Hanzo easily cleared it as well he saw that it was a step you wouldn’t want to miss. It wasn’t far across but it was many meters straight down to the ocean. It had likely been caused by one of the many explosions earlier, and Hanzo shuddered to think of what that meant for the entire bridge’s structural integrity. The spurs behind him momentarily silenced as McCree leapt, then jingled again as he landed, but the sound was also accompanied by an alarming cracking sound and a sharp intake of breath.

 

Hanzo whirled to see McCree scrambling, the pavement and concrete moving as it crumbled under his feet.

 

“McCree!” Soldier:76 shouted, sounding like he was about to come charging up the bridge again.

 

“Get back!” McCree yelled at them, even as his hand and footholds were giving out as soon as he grabbed them. “Just—!”

 

Hanzo sprinted back the few steps and lunged forward, nearly skidding on his stomach the last foot or so of distance to grab McCree’s arm just as he started to fall. McCree grunted as he hit the bridge, but recovered quickly and grabbed Hanzo’s arm back and somehow found a grip on the bridge as well. The others tried to come running to help, but the bridge cracked and groaned ominously again, and McCree and Hanzo shouted at them simultaneously to stay back.

 

Hanzo tried to pull McCree up, and the bridge groaned again.

 

“You should get out of here.” McCree said, his voice and expression somehow steady.

 

“ _We_ will.” Hanzo hissed, and reached out and caught McCree’s hat just as a gust of wind nearly tore it off. He frisbeed it down the bridge towards the others. “There. Now you have a goal. _Climb_ , gunslinger.”

 

McCree chuckled hollowly, but he scrambled up as best as he could as Hanzo pulled, the bridge crumbling even more as they did so, and once he was up and over the edge they lunged further down the bridge just as the area Hanzo had been laying on collapsed and fell into the water below.

 

Hanzo could only stare for a moment, stunned at how close it had been.

 

“Aaaand scene!” McCree had the nerve to yell, sounding breathless as he scrambled to his feet, “just like we practiced!”

 

“Eh, you could do it better.” Genji said. “Why don’t you go back across and try again?”

 

“Yeah, make sure we can all hear your dramatic final words next time.” Hana chimed in. “What did you say, anyway?”

 

Hanzo could feel a headache coming on.

 

“McCree, get your _fat ass away_ from that edge _now_.” Soldier:76 barked, sounding absolutely fed up.

 

“I prefer the term ‘thick’, and I like to think it’s all in my thighs.” McCree wasn’t done sassing, apparently. Hanzo started walking again, not waiting for the others, but he didn’t make it far before he heard McCree running to catch up with him.

 

“Hey, thanks for the save back there, partner.”

 

“It was nothing.”

 

“ _Ouch_.” McCree said, sounding wounded, but a sharp glance at him showed that he was grinning. Hanzo felt obligated to backtrack anyway.

 

“What I mean to say is, I know you would have done the same for me. Or, or anyone else on the team.” Hanzo cursed inwardly at his fumble.

 

“Darn tootin’, I would have.” McCree’s smile had somehow gone even wider, but it was warm and Hanzo somehow didn’t get the impression he was laughing at him. “Thanks, all the same.”

 

“You’re welcome.” Hanzo managed, just as they got to the pickup point where Lena was waiting for them impatiently.

 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The part where McCree yells "aaand scene" and Genji's response is not quite verbatim but definitely inspired from a scene in the game The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, so I do not own that but it had me laughing helplessly as I played the game, and as I was writing this for some reason that popped into my head and it seemed really fitting for a McCree and Genji interaction.


	3. Chapter 3

**(3)**

 

“It can’t be as bad as the time Jesse got drunk and dropped his burrito and cried about it for an hour.” Genji said.

 

“Fuck you.” McCree grumbled. “I would have cried about it if I was sober. That was a good burrito.”

 

“Oh yeah, I always forget you guys were Blackwatch buddies back in the day. (Two fours.)” Lúcio said, playing his cards into the middle. “I bet you have a pile of stories on each other.”

 

“Some of us more than others.” Genji said smugly from behind his cards. McCree snorted but didn’t rise to the bait, and Lúcio, Hana, and Fawkes immediately began clamouring for the stories. Hanzo eyed them from where he was reading on the couch, and exchanged a look with Satya, who sat on the other end of the couch with her own book. She flipped hers shut with a sigh and got to her feet.

 

“I’m going to find a quieter area.” She said pointedly to him, just loud enough for the card players to hear. “Care to join me?”

 

Hanzo considered it, but if he was being honest he had been on the same paragraph for twenty minutes now. “Perhaps in a bit. Thank you, Satya.”

 

She nodded and left, and he set aside his book to wander over to the fridge for a drink, passing the card table on his way.

 

“Sorry about that.” McCree grinned sheepishly at him. “We gettin’ too noisy?”

 

Hanzo waved it off, taking a swig of his cider. The card players had been getting steadily louder as the game progressed and drinks went down, but it was a public area on base and they were off duty today and tomorrow.

 

“Join us, brother!” Genji dragged another chair in between his and McCree’s and patted it enthusiastically.

 

“What are you playing?”

 

“Bullshit.” McCree said without looking up, and the look on Hanzo’s face set peals of laughter off in the younger players. McCree glanced up at him then to catch the stink eye. “No, I’m serious! That’s what it’s called! ‘Bullshit’!”

 

“More proper company would call it ‘I Doubt It’.” Angela said primly as she came into the kitchen to pour herself another mug of coffee.

 

“Calling it ‘Bullshit’ was worth seeing that face pointed at someone other than me for once.” Genji said, laughing as he gestured at Hanzo. Hanzo rolled his eyes but sat down, against his better judgment, and the table handed in their cards to reshuffle for a new game and explained the rules to him. Despite being skeptical about a game of cheating and lying at first, Hanzo took to it quickly and found himself enjoying it.

 

“Okay, out with it Genji, best Blackwatch stories.” Fawkes banged his prosthetic hand on the table, eliciting an indignant squawk from Hana when he knocked her soda over.

 

“Well, there was this one time when we were in Rialto,” Genji immediately began with a shit-eating grin, “trying to get some intelligence from some rich snobs who were in deep with Talon.”

 

“Aw, Genji,” McCree groaned, “that was not my fault! Reyes gave me two weeks to learn Italian and told me I wasn’t going to have to speak it anyway!”

 

“Anyway, so we learn about a meeting that’s going to happen at a high society restaurant that also happens to be hiring at the time. Because Reyes and Moira are the only ones that could, you know, _speak Italian_ , they go in to apply, but get turned down flat. But Reyes wasn’t stupid. He looked around while he was in there, at the ones that _were_ getting hired, and realizes it was just the young, pretty ones getting hired.”

 

“That’s stupid.” Hana popped her gum. “They were hiring on looks?”

 

“Oh yeah. Big time. Completely illegal, but no way to really prove it because they were only doing in-person interviews. So anyway, Reyes comes back to the hotel and makes Jesse get cleaned up and sends him down there, even though Jesse says it will never work. But,” Genji pulls his phone out with a flourish, and McCree groans, putting his head on the table, “as you can probably tell, it totally did.”

 

Hanzo couldn’t see the phone screen from where he was sitting, but the reactions range from disbelief to cackling delight at McCree’s expense. There are apparently a few photos, judging by the way Genji swipes through and the ensuing reactions.

 

“Alright, can we just get back to the game?” McCree eventually sat up, cheeks and ears a little redder than normal. Hanzo decided to take pity on him and snatched Genji’s phone out of his hand, ignoring their protests. He paused when he saw the photo that was on the screen, and couldn’t help but compare it to the McCree that sat in front of him now. The photo-McCree was considerably younger and clean-shaven, and the dark slacks and white button up that fit him like a glove didn’t suit the McCree Hanzo had come to know at all. The gold hoop he usually wore in his ear was replaced with a diamond stud in the picture, and his easy smile was replaced with an unimpressed flat look at the camera, complete with folded arms, which only made the white shirt bulge at the seams where his muscles flexed.

 

Hanzo looked at McCree again, who’s face had somehow become even redder.

 

“We could get back to the game,” Hanzo said in response to McCree, the words coming before he really thought his plan through and a few beats too late, “or we could continue with stories.”

 

Hana and Lúcio outright gasped in delight.

 

“What do _you_ have on McCree?!” Genji asked suspiciously.

 

“Hmm, no, I was thinking it should go in turns. The one _I_ was thinking of involves your nineteenth birthday in a certain country bar in eastern Canada.”

 

It was Genji’s turn to gasp then, and he slammed his hands on the table as he nearly leapt out of his chair. The sudden outburst startled nearly everyone at the table, and they turned wide eyes to Genji before looking back to Hanzo, who nonchalantly ruffled through his hand of cards. McCree was the first to grin, sitting back in his seat and kicking out a leg lazily.

 

“Oh? I suddenly have a feeling this aughta be good.”

 

“Brother,” Genji hissed, hands still planted on the table, “I know where you sleep.”

 

“Then what about the night I was sent to collect you from the arcade when you were a teenager?” Hanzo narrowed his eyes at Genji, not backing down. “There were more than several times that happened, but there’s a few nights I can think of worth mentioning.”

 

_“You are playing dirty!”_ Genji snapped in Japanese.

 

_“Then stop acting childish at others expense.”_ Hanzo snapped right back. 

 

“Hey now,” McCree said, raising his hands placatingly, but both brothers ignored him in favour of glaring at each other. Genji’s expression suddenly changed and he gaped at Hanzo for a moment, then glanced at McCree before launching into Hanzo again.

 

_“Is this because I was harassing him?”_ Genji thankfully left McCree’s name out of it, although Hanzo couldn’t be sure how much McCree was picking up anyway. The cowboy had a surprising affinity for languages, and Hanzo wouldn’t be surprised if Japanese was one of them, having known Genji for as long as he had. _“Are you defending him?!”_

 

Hanzo threw his cards on the table and left, ignoring the cries of ‘ _Hanzo!_ ’ and ‘ _aw, come back!_ ’ but didn’t mind hearing the others give Genji an earful as he walked away, even if he was partly to blame. Instead of going to his room or to find Satya, he left the building and climbed the comm tower to the catwalk where he sat decidedly _not_ sulking, watching the birds fly over the waves at the beach far below.

 

***


	4. Chapter 4

**(4)**

 

Hanzo heard the commotion from halfway up the path to the beach, and came upon the scene at the top of the large rocks that lined the edge of the sand. Hana stood with her hands on her hips, while Lúcio crouched over someone sitting in the sand, and Lena hovered uncertainly. They were all there in their beach clothes, as he was, and a spilled cooler and a pile of towels nearby showed that something had clearly gone awry before they had reached their destination.

 

“Hold _still_ , Eastwood.” Lúcio was saying as Hanzo drew near, because yes, it was McCree sitting in the sand, grimacing and shifting uncomfortably in his red swim shorts as Lúcio prodded his quickly swelling knee. “Yeah, we gotta get Angela to take a look at this. Pretty sure you at least dislocated something.”

 

“Reckon you’re right.” McCree tried to flex his toes and winced. “About how it felt last time, too.”

 

“Great.” Hana threw her hands in the air, although she didn’t sound very angry. “I’ll go get my MEKA. Or Winston. Or Reiny. Whoever happens to be closer and willing to drag you up to Ang.”

 

She spun on a heel, ignoring McCree’s half hearted protests that he could walk if someone would just give him a hand and Lúcio’s louder insistence that that would not be happening, and stopped when she saw Hanzo on the path.

 

“Oh good, that saves me a walk.” Hana said, then turned on the sickly sweet charm. “Hanzo, _ah-jae_ *, could you help us out?”

 

“Aw, Cottontail, leave him alone—” McCree started, sounding embarrassed, but Lena quickly shushed him with a swat to the head that just knocked his hat off. Hanzo set his own beach chair and towel down to crouch beside McCree, tipping his sunglasses down on his nose to survey the damage for himself. The tanned, scarred skin on McCree’s knee was already swollen and bruised, and it looked quite painful. 

 

“What happened?” Hanzo asked, eyeing the drinks and snacks that Hana was now attempting to rescue from the sand and place back into the cooler next. The ice was a complete loss, what little was still visible was already melting into the sand.

 

“He tripped while carrying the cooler and broke his old man knee.” Hana said, wrinkling her nose at a sand encrusted bottle of soda before wiping it off with a towel and placing it back in the cooler.

 

McCree scowled and shook a finger at her. “I hate… that I can’t outright deny that statement. But it was these flip flops! I haven’t worn them in ages, they tripped me up.”

 

Hanzo spotted the removed, offending footwear nearby that couldn’t belong to anyone but McCree. They had little green cacti wearing smiles, cowboy hats, and lassoes sprinkled all over them.

 

“Maybe we should get rid of them and get you a sturdier pair to avoid something like this again.” Lúcio said, reaching for them, but McCree snatched them away in the blink of an eye.

 

“Nope.” McCree popped the ‘p’. “Not getting rid of them. I’ll put them away. Or practise. One or the other.”

 

“C’mon, Eastwood, those things can _not_ be good for your feet anyway, they don’t even have any arch support!”

 

“No. I’m keepin’ them.” McCree said stubbornly, clutching them firmly to his chest.

 

“Alright, let’s get you to Angela.” Hanzo said, interrupting the inane arguing by moving so that he could lift McCree more easily.

 

“Wait, wait!” McCree panicked, flailing a bit, and his prosthetic hand somehow ended up on Hanzo’s bared chest. Despite the heat from the sun, the metal was still cool on his skin, likely thanks to the cooler he had been holding not long ago. “You don’t gotta carry me, Hanzo, I can hobble along if you let me lean on you.”

 

“Nonsense. You shouldn’t be putting any weight on that leg.” Hanzo shook his head. “It is no trouble to carry you, if you’ll let me.”

 

McCree’s face seemed to be going through a series of emotions, too quickly for Hanzo to decipher, all while his cheeks and ears took on a decidedly pink hue. “Alright, alright.” McCree finally muttered, giving in, grabbing his hat from where it had fallen and shoving it onto his head as if grimly bracing himself.

 

Hanzo slid his arms behind McCree’s back and under his thighs, made sure he was grasping him comfortably enough before hoisting him up, eliciting a small gasp from the cowboy as he grimaced, his knee obviously at least momentarily hurting as he was moved, but his expression quickly changed once they were up.

 

“Ohhh, boy howdy,” McCree muttered, grabbing at his hat to keep it on his head and seeming to be unsure as to what to do with his other hand after he shoved his flip flops under his bicep to hold them there, his cheeks and ears somehow flushing darker.

 

“Aw, look at ‘im, all flustered.” Lena beamed mischievously, and a phone made a fake camera shutter noise as a picture was taken.

 

“Hana, nooo!” McCree covered his face with both his hands, mortified, but she was already showing her phone screen to Lúcio and Lena, who were clearly delighted with what they saw, as Hanzo swept by them with his armload of cowboy.

 

“Ignore them.” Hanzo told McCree loftily. “They’ll only keep teasing you if you react so.”

 

“I have a feelin’ that won’t stop them.” McCree grumbled from behind his hands. Hanzo wasn’t completely sure, but it actually seemed as if his blush was creeping down his chest.

 

“Hey, wait up! We can come too!” Lúcio called after them.

 

“I’ve got him.” Hanzo called over his shoulder. “He’ll be fine. Enjoy your day at the beach.”

 

“ _You_ enjoy _your_ day too, McCree!” Hana yelled to be heard. McCree only groaned behind his hands, sounding pained.

 

“Are you alright?” Hanzo eventually asked in concern. They were nearly halfway up the path by now, and McCree had yet to remove his hands from his face. McCree took a deep breath and put his hands down, but didn’t meet Hanzo’s eyes, quickly looking away and retrieving the flip flops to fidget with them. 

 

“Never better!” McCree said a bit too cheerfully, voice cracking. “How about you? Want me to walk a bit? Honestly, Hanzo, you don’t gotta do this—”

 

“I’m aware.” Hanzo said dryly. “But I want to. The better you care for your knee, the more quickly I… you will be back on the field.”

 

He almost said ‘I will have my partner back on the field’, but wasn’t sure how the gunslinger would take that. McCree worked well with a variety of team members; Hanzo happened to be the latest. Never mind that they had quickly risen to the top of the list of deadliest duos, and while Hanzo had very slowly been making acquaintances and maybe even friends with a few of the others on base, the cowboy was usually the one he spent more time with, second only to his brother.

 

McCree undeniably blushed again, this time trying to hide it under the brim of his hat, but he relaxed a bit in Hanzo’s arms, even placing his arm around Hanzo’s neck and shoulders to help hold and redistribute some of his weight. McCree wasn’t a small man, broad in the shoulders and his frame admirably packed with muscle, but Hanzo’s own physique overshadowed the cowboy’s, even if he was a few inches shorter in stature. Hanzo could feel the strain on his muscles as he carried McCree, but he knew he’d easily be able to deliver the injured man to the med bay without pause.

 

“Thanks, Hanzo.” McCree said once they were inside the base, more subdued than before. “Dunno what I’d do without ya.”

 

“Take more unnecessary risks and drink alone, I suspect.” Hanzo said airily, then nearly startled when McCree burst out laughing.

 

“Ya got me there.” McCree finally admitted, when he had calmed down enough and Hanzo was pushing open the door into the med bay, being careful not to bump McCree’s head or feet.

 

“Jesse McCree!” Angela Ziegler groaned, getting to her feet from where she had sat at her desk. She was dressed for the beach, although she had thrown a long lab coat on over her bathing suit, as if she was just finishing up a few things before heading out. “What did you do now?”

 

“In Hana’s words, ‘tripped and broke his old man knee’.” Hanzo paraphrased, settling McCree onto one of the beds and giving Angela room to work.

 

“Were you wearing the knee brace I gave you?” Angela asked shrewdly, even as she busied herself after quickly checking McCree’s knee, gathering equipment needed for a deeper scan.

 

“Well, about that,” McCree started. “Kind of a long story, y’see—”

 

“It’s a yes or no question, McCree.”

 

“Well you’d think that, but it all started when—”

 

“I’ll take that as a no, then.” Angela huffed, well used to McCree’s smoke screens. McCree made a noise of protest but didn’t deny it, slumping in defeat. “Let me get you patched up. But honestly McCree, you need to take better care of yourself. Preventative medicine is the best medicine.”

 

Her doctor-ly-bordering-on-motherly scolding continued through the diagnosis and treatment, but it wasn’t long before she sent them on their way with instructions for McCree to stay off his knee for the rest of the day. Hanzo helped McCree hobble back to his room and onto his bed, and made sure he had everything he needed to remain comfortable within reach.

 

“Thanks, Hanzo.” McCree said again, pulling a soft t-shirt on over his head. “You going back to the beach now? Nice day for it.” His voice sounded a touch wistful.

 

Hanzo had been considering it, and was still dressed for it, but he found himself shrugging.

 

“There are other days.” Hanzo said, then dared to ask, “would you care to watch a movie with me, instead?”

 

McCree brightened. “Shoot, darlin’, that sounds great to me!”

 

“Very well.” Hanzo returned the smile and handed McCree his holopad. “I’ll go get changed and retrieve snacks from the kitchen. You pick a movie in the meantime.”

 

“Sure thing! What kinda movie you feeling like?”

 

“I am not choosy. Take your pick.” Hanzo left McCree happily whistling as he scrolled through his movie selections as he went to his own room to change into sweats and a t-shirt and retrieve the promised snacks.

 

Even though he hadn’t gotten his day at the beach, Hanzo decided it still wasn’t such a bad day.

 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *the cutesy/slang way of saying “uncle” (아재) in Korean, learned from here: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-right-way-to-say-uncle-in-Korean


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is short, I'd say sweet but not so much, and to the point.

**(5)**

 

They were on another mission, much the same as the others they had been on, and it was going smoothly until _she_ had arrived. 

 

Hanzo could see McCree on the field nearby, a bright, whirling spot of colour and sound with his serape and Peacekeeper, and despaired at the gunslinger’s lack of self-preservation. However, the man had been doing it for nearly as long as Hanzo had been practicing his own craft, so clearly he had some sort of skill in keeping himself alive.

 

But then Hanzo had seen a glint above them, and one look told him he didn’t have much time to react. McCree, the target, was fortunately close, and Hanzo simply threw himself at him as he released an arrow upwards, slamming into him and sending them both tumbling to the ground as a shot rang out.

 

“ _Sniper!_ ” Tracer shouted over the comms. “It’s her! It’s Widowmaker!”

 

“Hanzo, what are you—!” McCree started but cut off when Hanzo tried to push himself up and fell back onto one elbow. Hanzo lifted a shaking hand to somewhere on his lower chest and found a disgustingly warm, slick patch that his fingers slipped in. McCree grabbed him and half dragged, half carried him into cover as he struggled to breathe.

 

“Hanzo’s down!” McCree barked into his comm. “I need Mercy at our location!”

 

Another shot rang out, hitting somewhere alarming close— Widowmaker was toying with them. McCree cursed, but didn’t otherwise flinch as he focused on Hanzo instead, tearing fabric and pressing it against the entry wound. Hanzo grit his teeth in pain, and managed to grab McCree’s arm.

 

“You need to— need to leave.” Hanzo wheezed, his limbs already feeling like lead as darkness threatened the edges of his vision. He didn’t have much time; the bullet must have hit something vital inside him, making him lose too much blood, too fast. There was no point in McCree risking himself for him. “When— when it’s safe— go.”

 

“Like hell.” McCree snarled. “I ain’t leaving you.”

 

“McCree, _go_.” Hanzo insisted, feebly tugging on his arm as the world slowly spun and darkened around him. The pain was overwhelming, but he wasn’t sure if he was blacking out due to it or the blood he could feel spilling down his chest despite McCree’s ministrations. His chest heaved and he could feel himself starting to hyperventilate. “Jesse…”

 

“Stay with me, y’hear?” McCree shifted him, lifting him bodily into his arms, sounding panicked. “Hanzo? _Hanzo!_ ”

 

Hanzo’s only regret, as McCree’s howl faded in his ears, was that he hadn’t used words to tell the gunslinger how he felt about him. A part of him hoped that McCree had seen his small acts of caring for what they were… 

 

But now it was probably for the best that it had gone unspoken. No point in causing further pain, Hanzo thought, as everything went black.

 

***


	6. Chapter 6

**(+1)**

 

Waking was unexpected, but wake Hanzo did, gaining awareness of his surroundings with his eyes somehow already open. His vision was blurred, and mostly filled with shades of white and chrome, but something brown and red came into his line of vision. He struggled to focus on that, and Jesse’s worried face swam into view.

 

“—zo? You with us?” Jesse’s voice sounded like it was coming down a tunnel. “C’mon, darlin’, up and at ‘em.”

 

Sleep tugged heavily at the back of his eyes, but he agreed with Jesse and fought it off, feeling as though he had already been asleep for too long. 

 

“It could take some time for him to fully wake, McCree.” Another familiar voice spoke, somewhere nearby. “He’s still on a high dose of painkillers while the nanites work. Give him time.”

 

Hanzo thought he took offence to that; he was awake right now, wasn’t he? He opened his mouth to tell them so, but all that came out was a low groan. He blinked heavily as Jesse smoothed a hand over his forehead, brushing his hair back off his face and out of his eyes, then snatched his hand back guiltily as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t have. Hanzo found himself mourning the loss of touch, but was soon distracted by his next problem, which was trying to figure out what was on his face.

 

“Leave it alone, sug, it’s just an oxygen mask.” Jesse said gently, catching his hand to prevent him from smacking the plastic off his mouth and nose. Jesse taking his hand satisfied something deep in Hanzo’s chest, and he tightened his grip while settling further in bed, his eyes growing heavy again, and he thought he heard someone chuckle. He could hear Jesse and presumably Angela talking nearby, but couldn’t focus on the conversation enough to follow what they were saying. Hanzo drifted off again before he knew it.

 

***

 

The next time Hanzo woke was to the sound of someone humming a pleasant tune nearby, in the quiet, absent minded way he had come to associate with a certain gunslinger. He pried his eyes open and blinked dazedly at the ceiling a few times before letting his gaze drift, and he soon found his brother sitting nearby, sound asleep and gripping his hand rather tightly.

 

It took him a moment to realize the humming had stopped, and he turned his head to look at McCree. They stared at each other for a moment before Hanzo frowned.

 

“You look terrible.” Hanzo said, his voice rough. McCree huffed a laugh, but didn’t try to deny it, wordlessly offering Hanzo a cup of water with a straw instead. He held it so Hanzo could sip from it, which Hanzo was grateful for, because judging by how his hands were already trembling he didn’t think he could hold it for long anyway. When Hanzo was done, McCree sat back, setting the cup aside. He looked exhausted, his hair a mess and dark bags under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept in days. 

 

“Speak for yourself, sleeping beauty.” McCree finally said in response, his smile trembling and voice cracking. Hanzo’s eyes widened. Was he…? “But it sure is good to see you awake. It’s been a couple days already.”

 

Hanzo blinked at that. It had been days? He was distracted from the thought, however, when he noticed that McCree’s eyes actually glistened with unshed tears. Hanzo found himself dumbfounded for a moment. 

 

“Jesse, I—”

 

“You had me—”

 

They both started and stopped, and McCree chuckled when Hanzo motioned for him to go ahead.

 

“I just wanted to say, you had me worried. Us worried.” McCree’s gaze flickered over to Genji, still asleep, judging by his lights still on their low level. “And I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault it all happened. I wasn’t watching my six like I shoulda been. But you did. So… thank you. And I’m sorry.” McCree choked up by the end. His eyes were reddened. Hanzo wordlessly reached out, and after a short hesitation McCree took his hand and held it tightly.

 

“I have no regrets for what I did.” Hanzo told McCree gravely, his voice still thick from grogginess.

 

“Is that your nice way of saying ‘fuck off, I do what I want’?” McCree snorted, and Hanzo felt the corner of his mouth tug up in a smirk.

 

“Something like that.”

 

“Well, if you’re so dead set on being my knight with shining tattoo, then the least I can do is stick around to help out until you’re back on your feet proper.”

 

Hanzo opened his mouth to protest, to say that he didn’t have to do that, but Genji stirred then with a groan. “Oh, please do, he’s such a grouch when he’s laid up for more than a couple days.”

 

Hanzo hissed and squeezed Genji’s hand in warning, and his brother yelped and withdrew his hand to shake it out dramatically.

 

“You brat.” McCree laughed. “How long you been awake?”

 

“Not long.” Genji yawned before grinning smugly at them as he stretched. “Long enough. I’m glad to see you awake, brother.”

 

Hanzo hummed in response, and lifted a hand to rub at his eyes, and grimaced when the movement pulled painfully at something in his chest. A soft alarm went off nearby and McCree nearly leapt out of his chair, hovering nervously, while Genji leaned over to mute the monitor, clearly familiar with the equipment in a way that made Hanzo ache in a completely different way.

 

“What’s wrong? What do we do? Where’s Ang?” McCree barely paused for breath between each question, some directed at Hanzo, the rest at Genji. “Why isn’t she here already? Should I go get her?”

 

“I’m sure she’s already on her way, but whatever makes you feel better, cowman.” Genji waved him off, and McCree quickly went to find Angela. “Hanzo, no sudden movements. Angela has you mostly patched up already but you could still tear something if you move too much.”

 

“I’m fine.” Hanzo slouched down on the bed, laying his hand gingerly over where he could feel bandages under his hospital gown. “Stop fussing.”

 

“No problem here.” Genji sat back in his chair with a grin, folding his arms. “I think you’re going to have a harder time getting rid of a certain cowboy, though.”

 

“Why? It’s not like I…” Hanzo trailed off, a frown creasing his brow as a few hazy memories tried to resurface.

 

“Why?” Genji parroted. “It’s not like you jumped in front of a bullet for him, and then kept grabbing his hand to hold it every time you could on the way home.”

 

Hanzo felt his cheeks heat up.

 

“I was medicated.” He said haughtily.

 

“Oh, we know. You wouldn’t normally try to sing a top chart love song if you weren’t.”

 

“You’re making that up.” Hanzo said suspiciously.

 

“ _Guten Morgen_ , our serenading agent!” Angela bustled into the room then, followed closely by McCree. “How are you feeling?”

 

Hanzo felt the last shreds of what remained of his dignity flee.

 

“Fine,” he managed, voice strangled.

 

“Don’t worry, I already deleted the video that Genji managed to take.” Angela patted his hand and ignored the wounded noise from Genji as he went to investigate his phone’s contents for himself.

 

“Thank you.” Hanzo really was relieved, but it still didn’t change the fact that at least these three people if not the rest of the team on the shuttle had witnessed it anyway.

 

“You are not the first to fall victim to the hallucinatory effects of strong painkillers, and you will likely not be the last, considering our line of work. It was the least I could do.” Angela shrugged. “Now, I’d like to do a brief examination. Gentlemen, if you’d wait outside?”

 

“I actually need to go meet Zen, but I will be back later tonight if you’re up for visitors again, brother.” Genji gently squeezed his shoulder and Hanzo patted his hand with a nod before he left, but McCree still hovered uncertainly.

 

“I’ll just be right outside, alright? Just holler if you need anything.”

 

“Thank you, McCree.” Angela said with a tilt of her head, and watched him leave with an odd expression on her face. Once he was out of ear shot, she said to Hanzo, “I’ve never seen him like this.”

 

“He feels he’s to blame.” Hanzo said, allowing her to open the hospital gown and lift the bandages to inspect the admirably mostly healed wound. It was still a bit raw and tender, but it looked like it had been a couple weeks since he had been shot, not a matter of days. Angela hummed thoughtfully.

 

“That explains at least _some_ of his behaviour.” She said cryptically. Hanzo furrowed his brow, but didn’t rise to the bait. She finished the rest of the examination quickly, and expertly redressed the wound and checked the monitors and IV lines before excusing herself.

 

Hanzo settled back in the bed, more weary than he expected to be. He had only just woken not long ago, but felt as though he could sleep again. Just as he was starting to drift off, he heard the door quietly open, and he groggily opened his eyes to see McCree slinking in, tablet in hand.

 

“Aw, geez, I’m sorry, Hanzo, I didn’t mean to wake you.” McCree said guiltily. “Don’t mind me, I’ll leave you alone so you can sleep.”

 

“I’ve apparently slept for days.” Hanzo complained muzzily. “Why isn’t that enough?”

 

McCree chuckled, and the warm, familiar sound made the corner of Hanzo’s mouth twitch up.

 

“Well, you went and got yourself shot up, which is more than enough reason to need some extra sleep while you’re healin’ up.” McCree settled into the chair beside the hospital bed and set the tablet on his knee. 

 

Hanzo looked at the tablet pointedly.

 

“I still haven’t submitted my missions report.” McCree admitted. “My head wasn’t really in it, but both Winston and Ang have been pestering me something fierce. Figured I’d work on it.”

 

“Surely that would be easier with a full size holo-keyboard, instead of that little thing.” Hanzo pointed out.

 

“Well, I didn’t think I should drag my entire personal computer down here. I know it’s small enough but I’d still be taking up your table.” McCree drawled, but flashed him a grin. “I just wanted to make sure I was handy, in case you needed anything while Angela is busy and Genji’s away.”

 

“You don’t have to…” Hanzo started weakly.

 

McCree eyed him. “Do you want me to leave? If that’s what you need, I’ll get out of your hair.”

 

Hanzo hesitated, caught. 

 

“No.” He finally admitted. “Please, stay.”

 

“Then it’s settled.” McCree grinned, kicking his feet out while he slouched in the chair, flicking the tablet on. Hanzo huffed a soft sigh before settling back on the pillows again, letting his eyes drift shut.

 

“Hey, Hanzo?” McCree whispered. Hanzo hummed to indicate he was listening, prying his eyes open again. “I meant what I said before, about helpin’ out while you get back on your feet.” Hanzo stirred, about to protest, but McCree held up a hand and continued, “don’t think I didn’t notice all those times you took care of lil’ ol’ me, alright? Consider it payback. And, well, maybe just ‘cuz I want to.”

 

McCree was blushing now. Hanzo could only look at him, cursing the fog in his brain for muddying a moment that somehow felt important. Unable to find the words, he put his hand out instead. McCree only hesitated for the briefest of moments before threading their fingers together.

 

“So that’s not just something you want to do when drugged to the gills?” McCree asked cheekily. Hanzo groaned.

 

“I don’t remember anything. I was hoping Genji was joking about some things.”

 

“Likely not. Sometimes reality is better than fiction.” McCree grinned, but he sobered as Hanzo yawned and slowly blinked again. “Get some rest, darlin’. We’ll talk more later.”

 

“I’ll hold you to it.” Hanzo warned, but he was smiling as he settled back to sleep again, and he felt McCree gently pull the blanket up to cover him more warmly.

 

***


End file.
